Starting Fresh

The spring is a time of renewal. It's a time the earth tells us, we will begin again.

Flowers start to bloom. The grass begins to turn green. There are green buds on the tree. Dirt in the air. Dirt due to the fact that it's still dry - we are waiting on our April showers.

Many people equate spring to "cleaning". Spring Cleaning.

It's time to clean - get rid of the dead.The clutter. The baggage you've been carrying around.

You can plant new stuff, but the stuff you plant in the spring - those are annuals. Things that only bloom once.

One spring and summer - that's all you get.

But first, you must get rid of the winter. The dead leaves that never left the yard. The winter clothes you haven't liked in years, but keep because well, they are easy to wear when it's dark and grey. The toys that are no longer played with. The snow blower you haven't used in years.

I had a juniper bush removed today. It ran the length of my drive-way. Figured it was planted lated 70's or early 80's when those things were popular. There was also a small one in the back yard taken out.

They are HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE plants. They take over. You can't trim them and stuff collects in them.

I also took the trampoline in my backyard down last week. Tomorrow is "big trash" day - and most of the pieces are already gone.

As I took the trampoline down, the memories kept leaking out my eyes. From the boys saving their money to buy it, to sleep overs, to man on the moon stories, too......

The bushes, I've hated for a long time. Although at the end of the day, the final count:

• 15 hockey pucks
• 13 tennis balls
• 12 lacrosse balls
• 2 frisbees 
• 1 water bottle

(and I really can't believe a beer bottle or two wasnt' stashed in there, but if it was, the tree guy didn't let me know). All hiding in the bushes.

Hiding no more. 

After all, it's spring, start fresh. Like the Earth.

I want the one....

Are you going to get another puppy??

No. I'm going to be proud with the one whom went on to great things. I'm going to be happy knowing I did an incredible thing. We helped someone.

Well, maybe.

Maybe, if you have one that is a "re-home". Someone whom thought they could do this, then they turned out, well, they couldn't.

This isn't an easy job. You raise a puppy and have to give it up.

Or maybe, the one, that someone, at the last minute, couldn't/wouldn't/can't commit.

That's the one I want.

The one that needs you, more, well, than you need them.

I don't want to know, "in six months, on such and such date, you will get a puppy."

That's SO not how my life works. Well, it does. It works better though when I get a call on a Monday morning after a horiffic week, that says,

"Will you take a blonde male next Wednesday???"

Yes.

Yes, I will.

At Some Point

A term "Binge Watching" has now been around for a bit.

It is when, a "television/book series" has been on-going, and you can sit down and watch/read the whole series.

I've understood this from books for a bit.

The Hunger Games

The Twilight Series

I skipped Harry Potter

(I guess I like teen lit more than I will ever admit)

The "binge" watching of TV is something I JUST DON'T get. Why in the world would I sit in front of the TV for HOURS/DAY/WEEKS watching TV. (Yes, I watched bunches of TV earlier in life, but have completely forgotten)

Until a couple of weeks ago.

My friend Joellen was living at my house and we discovered a show called "Shameless" had been watched on Netflix.

Whomever was watching it, was on Season One, Episode 5. 

(For those whom have never "started" a series (me!!!). You can start at the beginning and not quit watching until it is all over).

We started at Episode 1. Season 1.

This series was a 'bit' risque. Good acting. Relateability on some levels.

I think we stopped at Episode 3 (yes, the same day - this is called "binge" watching)

Lily came to visit. Evidently, this is huge among the teenagers as we found out it had been Nolan watching the series.

The boys went to school/classes, L and I sat and watched WAY to much TV.

We must have skipped a few seasons, as when she left I was somehow on Season 4.

Truly, this show is messed up. It gets better. I'm still not sure it's not some type of pornographic, but addictive no less. 

It's a messed up family from the South side of Chicago. You really empathize with the bunch.

Empathy. With them. With us. 

Making sure we all know how fortunate we have(had) it in life.

This group of people never stood a chance in life. They were given breaks.

We are all given breaks in life, you have to seize those moments when you get them.

At some point, you have to understand, YOU can be the own difference in your life.



BTW, I've probably watched more TV in the last couple of weeks, than in the previous YEARS. I'm OUT. Someone let me know if I should do this again one day.....

Love is all around us

Friday, February 10, 2017 we had to turn our puppy in.

When we received him, he was 8 weeks old. We knew this day would come. Otherwise, we would have never gotten a puppy. I don't really like things when they are young. 

Give them to me at 10 or above - that's my place.

Ambrose/Brodie arrived at our house October 2015. He lived with us until last Friday. He's now at "Olympic Training". Of course he is, one of my kids had to make it to the Olympics. 

Last Friday, the ceremony:

They start with the Breeders. The people whom are put in charge of the CCI puppies whom have the baby puppies.

They recognize the Puppy Raisers (us).

The trainers of the puppies in Olympic training then talk.

The stories of the people whom need the puppies.

The matches: the matching of the puppies whom have made it through Olympic Training to the people whom need them

The ceremony is a hour and a half. It all flows quickly.

At some point, you realize you are sitting in a room of at LEAST 300 people and over a hundred dogs.

Then at the next point, you realize (as Ed's wife pointed out to me), you are sitting in a room with nothing but love.

Every single person was there because of love.

Through all the happiness.

All the tears.

Love was all around us.

February 12, 2017

February 12, 2007 we lost a friend. http://dnlsumeradventures.blogspot.com/2012/02/fasinating-person-1-2012.html

I wrote the story 5 years ago. But the murder happened ten.

As with life, it goes on. And it should. Vanessa wouldn't have wanted us around moping for her loss. She would have wanted us out their living.

Of course, February 13, 2017 - our friend whom is now married to Vanessa's former husband posted pictures on the day of her death of their family skiing. She still can't handle the fact that everyone misses someones. It's a weird, messed up kinda place. For her. The rest of us, we understand, "she's not our kind of crazy."

For me, I crawled into bed Sunday night, February 12, 2017.

We had just returned from California to turn in our puppy. A day we knew would come. A beautiful, horrible day - all at once.

People we had just met 10 years ago, yet had know for years. With people we had know for longer than 10 years, and we all knew we would be there on this day.

I'll write more about puppy turn in. Because as I said, it was beautiful and horrible all at once.

BUT, on Sunday night, February 12, 2017.......

I crawled into bed with:

• DNL all under one roof
• Silliness of summers past 
• Heartaches of summers too
• Peace
• Wholeness

As I closed my eyes, and thought of the last ten years, I smiled.

Very, very thankful of every minute and every person whom has entered my life in the last 10 years.

So very lucky.

And I slept........

Digging deep

We live in a big world.

Miles. Oceans. Land.

Places. People. Experiences.

When you look back at all of those things in your life? You realize what/who has added to your life. 

Chances.

Moments.

What I've realized lately is life is very, VERY short. 

My lip still trembles for the boys we lost last summer. It could have as easily been me.. 

We are not guaranteed 65 and healthy.

Heck, we aren't even guaranteed tomorrow. Much less tomorrow and healthy. 

I'm going back to Kona in June. Or at least that is planned. 

I'm going to dig deep. 

Find the Good

Lots of turmoil in the world to the start of the Christian calendar 2017.

Agree with some. Disagree with some.

I've gone back and forth on what I do believe in. What I don't believe in. What I'm willing to fight for, what I'm not willing to fight for.

But,

What I do think? About all the turmoil in the world?

IT TAKES NOTHING TO BE KIND

Yes, there are people whom will take advantage of your kindness.

There are people whom will not have the same values as you.

BUT,

You can't change them. You can only be you.

Yes, there are people in our country illegally. There are also citizens in our country whom live off of social services or other people to pay for their way to survive.

We could go on and on.

All I do know??

Be kind to one another.

Go find the good.....